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Breakdown of Er zieht den Koffer durch den Flur.
er
he
durch
through
der Koffer
the suitcase
der Flur
the hallway
ziehen
to pull
Questions & Answers about Er zieht den Koffer durch den Flur.
Why is it den twice?
Because both nouns are masculine singular in the accusative case.
- den Koffer: direct object of ziehen (transitive verb → accusative)
- durch den Flur: durch always takes the accusative
Masculine articles:
- Nominative: der
- Accusative: den
- Dative: dem
- Genitive: des
Could it be dem Flur?
No. durch is an accusative-only preposition. It belongs to the set: durch, für, gegen, ohne, um (and rarely wider). So it must be durch den Flur, never durch dem Flur.
What are the genders and plurals of Koffer and Flur?
- der Koffer (masc.), plural: die Koffer; genitive singular: des Koffers
- der Flur (masc.), plural: die Flure; genitive singular: des Flurs
What’s the difference between durch den Flur, im Flur, and in den Flur?
- im Flur (= in dem Flur, dative): location — being in the hallway
- Example: Er steht im Flur.
- in den Flur (accusative): motion into the hallway
- Example: Er geht in den Flur.
- durch den Flur (accusative): motion through the hallway (from one side to the other)
- Example: Er zieht den Koffer durch den Flur.
Is this using the separable verb durchziehen?
No. The main verb here is ziehen, and durch den Flur is a prepositional phrase telling you the path.
- Er zieht den Koffer durch den Flur. = He pulls the suitcase through the hallway.
- With the separable verb durchziehen, durch would be a particle and typically you’d get something like: Er zieht den Koffer durch. (He pulls it through [completely].) That emphasizes completion, not the specific path.
- There’s also inseparable durchziehen (stress on ziehen) meaning “to carry through, to complete” (e.g., Er zieht das Projekt durch.), which is a different meaning.
Can I say Er zieht den Koffer durch?
Yes, but it means “He pulls the suitcase through (to the other side/completely),” without naming the path. If you want to specify the path, you need the prepositional phrase: durch den Flur.
Which verb should I use: ziehen, schieben, tragen, rollen, schleppen?
- ziehen: pull (typical for a wheeled suitcase behind you)
- schieben: push (in front of you, like a trolley)
- tragen: carry (lifted)
- rollen: roll (let the wheels do the work, neutral about pushing/pulling)
- schleppen: lug/haul (heavy, tiring, often complaining)
- Also common: hinter sich herziehen (drag behind oneself)
Examples:
- Er schiebt den Koffer durch den Flur.
- Er trägt den Koffer durch den Flur.
- Er rollt den Koffer durch den Flur.
- Er schleppt den Koffer durch den Flur.
Can I move parts around for emphasis?
Yes. German is verb-second in main clauses, so you can front different elements for emphasis:
- Neutral: Er zieht den Koffer durch den Flur.
- Emphasize the path: Durch den Flur zieht er den Koffer.
- Emphasize the object: Den Koffer zieht er durch den Flur.
Avoid the awkward order Er zieht durch den Flur den Koffer in neutral contexts.
In a subordinate clause, the conjugated verb goes to the end:
- …, weil er den Koffer durch den Flur zieht.
How do I say it in the past?
- Simple past (Präteritum): Er zog den Koffer durch den Flur. (common in written narrative)
- Present perfect (Perfekt): Er hat den Koffer durch den Flur gezogen. (common in speech)
Note on auxiliaries: ziehen uses haben when it’s transitive (as here). It uses sein when it’s intransitive with the meaning “to move (to a place)”:
- Er ist nach Berlin gezogen.
How do I express “He is pulling …” (progressive aspect)?
German has no mandatory progressive form, so use:
- Er zieht gerade den Koffer durch den Flur. (most common)
- Er ist dabei, den Koffer durch den Flur zu ziehen. (he’s in the process of …)
- Colloquial/regional: Er ist am Ziehen.
How do I replace things with pronouns?
- Replace the suitcase (den Koffer, masc. acc.): Er zieht ihn durch den Flur.
- Replace the hallway (den Flur, masc. acc. after durch):
- To avoid confusion with “him,” use a pronominal adverb or “da”-construction:
- Colloquial and clear: Er zieht den Koffer da durch.
- More formal/explicit: Er zieht den Koffer dadurch hindurch.
- Er zieht den Koffer dadurch is ambiguous because dadurch often means “as a result.”
- Er zieht den Koffer durch ihn is grammatically possible but usually avoided (it can sound like “through him”).
- To avoid confusion with “him,” use a pronominal adverb or “da”-construction:
Can durch das contract to durchs?
Yes, with neuter nouns: durch das Zimmer → durchs Zimmer.
Not here, because Flur is masculine. So you must say durch den Flur, not durchs Flur.
How do you pronounce the key words?
- zieht: like “tseet” — z = ts, ie = long “ee,” final t crisp
- durch: “durkh” — short “u” (like in “put”), German uvular r, soft ch (as in German ich)
- Koffer: “KOFF-er” — short “o” (like in “off”), final -er is a light schwa
- Flur: “floo(r)” — long “u” (like “oo”), lightly pronounced r
Can I drop the article?
Not with singular countable nouns in neutral statements. You normally need a determiner:
- Er zieht einen/seinen/den Koffer durch den Flur.
You can omit the article in the plural if you mean “suitcases” in general:
- Er zieht Koffer durch den Flur. (grammatical but unusual without context)
Is Flur the only word for “hallway”?
Other options exist:
- der Flur: common in homes/apartments in Germany
- der Gang: very common in Austria/Switzerland; in Germany it can also mean “corridor,” but it has other meanings too (course/gear/walk)
- der Korridor: more formal/technical, used in hotels, hospitals, ships, etc.
In everyday German in Germany, Flur is the default for a hallway in a flat or house.
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